A Diamond In The Rust
by TomatoAmor
Summary: Lovino Vargas comes from a big family with hard cold cash. Esmeralda Alvarez has no parents and lives with her Cuban aunt, uncle, and cousin. Lovino has no interest in the Mexican girl and assumes she is just a delinquent with no future. But what happens when she is forced to do community service at the place he works? Will Lovino learn there is more then meets the eye?
1. Chapter 1

So I realize there isn't enough of this pairing out there and I am going to do something about it since these two are meant to be! This was just a random idea I thought of while I was having writers block for my other story A Taste Of Payback. Well my loves, lets see how good I can handle two stories at the same time and I hope you enjoy~

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Lovino Vargas hated his job more then anything. He didn't have to work if he didn't want to, but his father decided it was time he became a man and made his own living. The Vargas family was a huge family with enough money to back them up on anything. They were living large in wealth but made Lovino and his younger Feliciano go to a common school so they wouldn't let all the money go to their head. The job Lovino landed was one at an orphanage. His fathers buddy from the mafia, Santino, owned it and said he could use some employment help and Lovinos mother volunteered him for hiring without his consult. The orphanage wasn't bad at all. It was very clean and good looking. Marble floors, dining halls, servants to do all the cleaning. It was the kids he had a problem with. The little parentless kids who walked around like their lives were over. Pale, tear stained faces sulking around barely ever smiling. The kids bored him and couldn't see why the kids were so down at such a nice place, but then again, Lovino had family and everything he wanted at his command, so he couldn't relate to the kids at all. When they first moved to America, his parents found an academy that held kids from all over the world from kindergarten to twelfth grade and enrolled them as soon as they were able to start school. The only requirement for the school, speak English. He was now in eleventh grade and all the kids in his grade knew each other and grew up together since they were stuck in the same school since kindergarten. They were like, one ginormous messed up family. Lovino was waiting for the end of the day so he could finally leave and go home to his mothers cooking. He was currently in the office running some errands for his teacher. He turned a corner into a narrow hallway that led to the principals room. "Let's see the bastards who got in trouble today", that particular hallway in the office had chairs lined up along one of its sides. Chairs for the students who got sent out their classrooms or needed to talk to the principal. He looked and saw that all the chairs were filled up by none other then the schools usual trouble makers.

The Hispanic kids were always finding ways to misbehave since they all first started school. He had no intentions in getting involved with them. They were bad kids and he didn't need to get caught up in that. He wasn't all golden star pupil either, but these kids were just bad news for him. He observed them while he filed some documents. First one closest to him was a girl from Venezuela. She was the most innocent one with the best grades and manners. She respected her teachers and was kind to people, she just gets dragged along. Lovino felt bad for her, but they were all great friends so he knew it wasn't that big of a deal. Next to her was a big tall guy from Brazil. He was the star athlete on the guys soccer team. He was also tough and an easy intimidator. Sitting next to him was a light skinned girl from Columbia applying makeup. She was always stylish, but had one of the biggest attitudes in the school, she was also a major drama queen. If she caught you looking through her makeup or any of her stuff, she would beat you to a pulp. On her other side was a young Dominican girl. She always had a mad expression on her face as if everything bothered her. Sitting next to her was the guy with the biggest swag on campus. A guy from Puerto Rico. He was smooth with the ladies, even smoother then Lovino, and always looked fresh and ready to take on anyone at any given moment. Beside him, was a big guy from Cuba, Alejandro. He was extremely dark skinned and had dreads that he pulled back in a ponytail. He was in love with ice cream and seemed to have an imaginary friend. His friend seemed so real to people it confused them, until they remembered his friend was real and was a student from Canada named Mathew. Next to the Cuban was the smallest but toughest of them all. A bad to the bone Mexican named Esmeralda Alvarez. She didn't care what any one thought of her and many feared her. She wasn't the person you'd want to mess with because she was known for beating people up with out thinking twice. She was also known for sneaking to the back of the school to smoke illegal drugs, not to mention she's been arrested a few times. Lovino always kept his distance from her, but they occasionally made small conversation. Esmeralda was never mean to you if you didn't give her a reason to, and Lovino wanted to keep it that way. She was also the prettiest. One of the prettiest girls in the school, one of the only ones with natural beauty. She could forget to wear makeup and not have to worry about it because she was still beautiful. He remembered how she used to charm the boys into giving her their snack when they were little kids. She was the only girl in the school who could come to school in sweatpants and still make a guy make a double take. Some days, she would primp herself up, but other days, she would just come in wearing baggy sweatpants, a fitted t-shirt,a flat hat and a pair of shiny black Nike high-tops. She called it her 'casual clothes', but Lovino only thought it made her look tougher. He guessed today was a casual day for her because she wore just that. He knew her parents died when she was a small shild and was currently living with her cousin, the Cuban boy next to her.

Lovino tried not to stare at her as she sat on her chair criss-cross playing with a rosary on her neck. She suddenly looked up at him for a second and flashed him a killer smile. The girl had a good sense of humor and was always somehow managing to smile. Lovino gave a weak wave and went back to what he was doing. She looked down and started to examine her nails, making her long wavy black hair cover half her face. Barely audible Latin music could be heard but he couldn't pin point whose pocket it was coming from. He looked back at the girl with the sun-kissed skin. Esmeralda was now digging through her bag. She pulled out a tomato and bit into it. The Colombian girl started a conversation, but Lovino couldn't understand it because they were all speaking in Spanish. None of them were born in the U.S, but neither was Lovino. He finished his work and walked out. Those kids were always in their. Some not all the time, But Esmeralda was. She was loud and rude. Feliciano told him she was a really nice person deep down, but Lovino just thought his brother was going crazy.

Finally the day was over. Lovino and Feliciano went home to their huge family. They lived with a couple of aunts and uncles, cousins, and their parents. After Lovino ate his well deserved meal, he went to the orphanage. He sat there at a desk flipping through a magazine as he watched the kids draw depressing, sloppy pictures. He was mainly in charge of their arts and crafts. His boss walked up to him. "Ciao Lovino. A word please?", Lovino nodded and set the magazine down. "Listen, there's been a robbery at a market down town a couple days ago and one of the people involved has to do community service here with us", Lovino rolled his eyes. "Great. Just what we need. Some criminal hanging out with kids", Santino put a hand on Lovinos shoulder. "She'll be doing the arts and crafts with you", Lovino gawked at him. "What! Oh please no, I don't want to deal with some no good chick for about a month", he pleaded with his boss. "A month exactly actually. You have to, it's court ordered", Lovino shook his head. "Well could you at least tell me who it is?", his boss nodded and started to walk away. "She starts next week and her name's something like Esmeralda Alvarez. I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention", he walked out the door. Lovino felt his heart stop. "Great. One more reason to hate my job", he was really not looking foward to this.


	2. Chapter 2

So Lovi tries to get comfortable :3 a toast to the small handfull who likes this pairing! Some day, it will be popular! enjoy~

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Lovino peered over at Esmeralda with the corner of his eye. He wanted to tell her he knew about the robbery and that he worked at the orphanage. But how he would tell her was a mystery to him. She wasn't the most approachable person on his list and the two had been assigned lab partners for their current science project. He cleared his throat causing her to look up at him, "Can I help you?", she asked simply. "Uh, yeah...", he couldn't find his words and trailed off. "What Lovino? You found out I cheated off you in our math test? I tried not to be obvious but oh well. I just hope you knew what you were doing", she took out a brush and untangled her long wavy hair. Lovino was caught off, he did not notice at all but he wasn't surprised either. He hoped she would at least be courteous enough to thank him later for the A. "No I didn't actually. What I wanted to say was that I know what you did last Friday night", he immediately deadpanned. _'Shit! Why did I just make my self sound like a total stalker! Now she's looking at me weird!', _he started to panic in his mind as she raised a perfect eyebrow at him. "Meaning...?", she gave him a fairly questionable glance. Lovino found his cool and composed himself, "I know about the robbery". Esmeralda cursed and looked around before lowering her voice. "How the hell do you know about that Italiano?", her voice was cautious but also edgy. Lovino continued to panic in his mind but remained calm on the outside. "It's okay. Your doing community service at an orphanage right?", she nodded her head. "Well, I work at the orphanage and my boss told me about it yesterday so um, looks like we're going to be working together", he managed a weak smile as she listened to his heavy accented voice making sure he wasn't up to something. "Huh, really now? Well you better keep your mouth shut about it", Lovino nodded feeling a bit light headed as they continued to build their solar oven. Suddenly, a student came up to their table. "Hey babe, what's cooking? Haha get it? Since we're making ovens haha", the obnoxious American leaned smoothly on their table. Esmeralda didn't even bother to look up at her notes, "What do you want Alfred?". Lovino glared at the American, never really liking him. "Oh nothing at all! Just seeing how my babe and Mr. Grumpy pants are doing. If you want, we can trade partners so I can work with you and Lovino can work with Antonio, that is unless _you_ want to work with Antonio, Esmeralda", the young girl narrowed her eyes at him. "First of all, I'm not your _babe, _second of all, we don't need to switch partners, and third most importantly of all, I want nothing to do with that damned Spaniard", her words were cold enough to even send shivers down Lovino's spine. Alfred smirked, "You guys are still fed up with each other. Come on, you broke up with him! You don't even like each other anymore, that was so two years ago! Take your breakup like a normal person and make room for more important stuff, like me", the two Latin kids ignored the American and looked at each others notes. "Alfred, you talk too much", was Esmeraldas simple response. "Come back to me. That's all I'm asking. I don't see why we keep dating on and off", Alfred randomly pleaded with his ex girlfriend. "Because I keep finding reasons not to be with you. But then you and your damned blue eyes help me find reasons to be with you that I never realized before. So then our cycle continues", she tried not to look up at the American and kept her guys glued to Lovinos neat handwriting. "Exactly! You come back! So there's no reason to leave! Please", Lovino shifted in his seat. "Well this isn't awkward...", he continued to shift around so he wouldn't face them anymore. Esmeralda sighed as she finally put down the notes, "We'll talk about it later okay Alfred", a bit of sincearness could be found in her voice and she let their eyes meet. Alfred lit up and nodded quickly before running back to his own project.

Lovino cleared his throat. After Esmeralda broke up with Antonio, Alfred and Esmeralda had been dating on and off. Esmeralda would break up with him, he would beg for her back, and she would agree, but break up with him eventually. "So um, you and Alfred, you think he's the one?", Lovino was just trying to get comfortable. "Not at all. He's a great guy and not to bad of a boyfriend, but we fight to much and he's exhausting. He's great, I like him a lot, but the one? I don't think so", she shook her head while drawing some blueprints. Lovino felt bad for her. He didn't think she would ever find love and she would be forced to spend the rest of her sad life in jail. Her relationship with Alfred was a roller coaster that could make you nauseous and puke. One moment, they would seem like the perfect love birds, the next, they were cursing and throwing things at each other. Then there was her relationship with Antonio. Everyone thought they would be together for ever. Lovino thought so himself with the way they looked at each other and held each other. A match made in heaven some would say. They even gave themselves away to each other. But it was too good to be true because out of no where, Esmeralda dumped him. No one knows what happened, but they all knew it was nasty, leaving the school with months of awkward tension coming from the both of them. Lovino on the other hand, was currently in a steady relationship with the same girl for about two years. He couldn't imagen himself with anyone better and decided Esmeralda just had really bad karma and would be deprived of just about anything that made one happy. "You know Lovino, your brother tells me that my relationship with Alfred isn't healthy", Lovino nodded. "Yeah Feliciano's talented when it come to other peoples love life, but he can't manage one himself", he swore he heard her laugh when he said that. _'Score one for me! I made the toughest girl in school laugh! Ha, so much for Mr. Grumpy_ pants'.

Lovino was surprised at how well they were getting along, but he remained cautious. She was a trouble maker and he wanted nothing to do with that. After lunch, he found Esmeralda and Alfred hugging. "Guess they're back together", he said in a bored tone while his brother clapped. "Ve, isn't it great fratello!", Lovino shrugged. "Sure whatever", he could honestly care less about the two. Lovino ditched his brother and went to class. At the end of the day, Lovino went to the office to file the daily documents. While he was filing documents, the principals door opened and Esmeralda and Alejandro walked out followed by a cop who quickly left the building. Alejandro went back to class as the principal shook his head slamming the door. Esmeralda took a seat in the office hallway and made herself comfortable. "Got busted for the robbery?", Lovino tried to ask her casually. She nodded and showed him a detention slip. "That's all you get? Detention?", Lovino was surprised at the lack of punishment, he was also surprised as to why he was even talking to her. "I know right. I thought we were in for some big shit but I guess not", she shrugged her shoulders and looked around. Lovino found himself reading the slip. "It says you have detention on Thursday", she looked up at him. "Yeah, what's your point?", Lovino pulled out his own detention slip, "I do too", she grabbed it and read it out loud. "Hm cursing, why am I not surprised. Mine just says inappropriate citizenship. Whatever the hell that means. See ya there then", she handed it back. _'Why are we being bought together? First, it turns out she'll be working with me, then we have detention together. What the hell is this? And I just checked the records and no one else has it on Thursday so we'll be alone. It's the end of the day, No one will get written up", _he got lost in his thoughts and forgot that the Mexican girl was sitting right in front of him. "Yo, Earth to Lovino. You there?", her voice sent him back immediately. "Uh, oh yeah! Sorry. Hey, don't you have to get to class", he realized that Alejandro returned to his and she was still there. "Nah, for what?", she started to fix the bottom of her skin tight pants. "Oh I don't know. To learn maybe! Get an education!", he pointed out the obvious. "Whoa, chill. It's the end of the day. It don't matter", Lovino sighed. "It does matter. And the correct sentence would be it doesn't matter. Not, it don't matter", he felt the sudden urge to correct her grammar, which he never had a problem with. It was just his annoyance about how little she cared. He didn't care about school either, but he felt like she was on a whole different, dangerous level. "Hey, you sound like Arthur. He's always correcting my grammar", she pulled out her phone and started texting. "You can't sit still for a second can't you? Youv'e gone all fidgety and shit since seventh grade", she shook her head no, knowing he was right. He still wasn't fully comfortable, but didn't see her as much as a threat anymore.

"So I see you got back with Alfred", he made small conversation while he finished his work. "Yeah we did. I don't why I took him back though. There's no spark anymore, it's like we're both just in it for the sex now. At first, it was all about completing each other and the sex was special. But know, it just feels like fucking and we're all like 'forget the smut we always had and let's just fuck', you know what I'm saying? I use to like him a lot, but now it just feels like old news that I kept replaying. A copy, non original form from when we first started dating. Shit, why am I being so open with you. Probably because your the only one whose listened to me for this long when I talk about it", she said the last part softly, but Lovino heard it. He continued feeling bad for her, thinking she would never be happy with a guy. "Well um.. I don't know what to say. I'm not good at this kind of stuff", he confessed. "I know. I usually vent to your brother, he's great company. See you later", she grabbed her stuff and walked out just as the bell rang. Lovino stood there shocked, "What the hell is Feliciano doing hanging out with her! I mean yeah I see them talking, but...What the hell! He's in the grade below us and he's befriending delinquents. Shit Feliciano...What am I going to do with you", he shook his head as he spoke to no one in particular. He was still in shock that he was able to hold a conversation with Esmeralda and even more surprised that it was a semi touchy subject for her. Lovino was still convinced karma was to blame for her misfortune in romance.


	3. Chapter 3

Oh dear I am so sorry my loves! You see, I only have the epic ending planned out, so I wasnt really comfident with this story so I wasnt feeling like wrighting it. But with the right atitude i realized this could be beautiful!...i also got super busy...But then I saw people were actually liking this story so thanks so much! I tried wrighting in Lovis POV. Sorry if it sucks. It was rushed and I was distracted by everything. Enjoy~

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I sulked into the halls, not wanting to be stuck in detention with that good for nothing Mexican. I'd honestly rather be at the stupid pep rally that's starting in a bit. I even let my self be pushed around until I eventually got to the door. Detention was always held in the eighth grade English room, so I was familiar with it. I sighed as I pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Ah Lovino Vargas! We've been waiting", I was greeted by the lamest teacher on campus. The one that wears Christmas sweaters in the month of August and spits rockets every time he speaks. "Uh...hello", I looked around the empty classroom and saw Esmeralda sitting in a random seat in the back row digging through her bag. I cautiously took a seat in the front row, not wanting to get close. That damned teacher suddenly gathered all his stuff and started walking out, "Well see ya later folks! I wouldv'e left earlier but I would never trust Miss. Alvarez alone in my beloved room. Toodaloo children!". Then he just left! He left me alone with that delinquent!

"Wait! Where's he going? He can't just leave us! Come back!", I silently prayed for him to come back, that's how desperately I didn't want to be alone with Esmeralda. And to make it worse, he locked us in! I was feeling sick. I heard her laugh from the back, "He's going to the pep rally. Guess he has to much pep to watch us". We spent for ever in painful silence. I could feel my self panic as I started fidgeting around. I glanced at her through the corner of my eye, she was sitting there smiling doing her nails. Why is she so damned comfortable! No, forget that, who the hell does they're nails in detention? "Pshh are you seriously doing your nails?", I tried to sound as calm as possible, as if her presence didn't set me off. Because I'm Lovino fucking Vargas, and no one throws me off! "Yeah, I am. Is there something wrong with that", she examined her nails and put the polish away. "No...", I couldn't think of anything else to say. She put her feet up on the desk, "So what's the orphanage like?". I thought for a moment, thinking of what to say, "It's a nice place. The kids could use some lightning up". I honestly felt afraid for the kids safety and health. Esmeralda just doesn't seem like the type of person to be good with kids. I don't know her well enough, but I'm just assuming. Maybe I'll ask Feliciano...wait a minute! What do I care? Fuck no, I don't care about those kids. She nodded and took a nap. That is when I decided to look at her thoroughly. She was actually extremely pretty. Underestimated beauty. She looked so peaceful while she laid her head on top of a text book and dozed away. I sensed she was about to wake up so I quickly looked away, pretending I wasn't paying any attention to her.

I had no idea what to do next. Should I talk to her or keep ignoring her? I continued to argue with myself until a loud buzzing sound was heard. I looked over in her direction to find her giggling over a text. She seemed so easy going, as if she had no care in the world and didn't have to worry about half the things she does worry about. She didn't seem so tough, but she didn't look fragile either. I'm guessing I'm probably hallucinating. She was a bad person and that ended it. I felt my own phone buzz and got a text from my grandpa. Hmm, so that old bastard finally figured out his phone. He said he just got back from visiting Rome and we're all going to dinner tonight. I sighed when I saw the restaurant was Hispanic. He was obsessed with cultures and tried to get a little bit from everywhere. Speaking of Hispanic, I looked over at Esmeralda who was looking right at me. I quickly smiled a hello. I am a ladies man when I'm single, since I have my girlfriend, my guards been down. But I still have no trouble with girls...except for this one sitting right in front of me. I hated it. Was I intimidated? Of course not! For eleven years I have tried my best to stay away and so far, it has worked. For eleven years, I have tried to not get too friendly, and it has worked. So what was it that makes it so hard to converse? I guess it's just my guard doing what I told it to do. Making sure I don't get to , the English teacher came back to let us out and I ran like hell out of there.

When me and Feli got home, we were immediately greeted by our grandpa, "Guess who's back from Italia! Oh my Feli, lovely as always! Come, give grandpa a hug". Feliciano did as told and I rolled my eyes. He was always my grandfathers favorite, and I was always just there. "Lovino! Looking sharp my grandson, give yourself about two more years and you'll be looking like the mafia! Proud of you", I guess it was a compliment. I took it as one anyways and smiled. I actually had no intentions in joining the mafia when I leave school, just like everyone in the family did, and I'm pretty sure Feliciano feels the same way as I do. All of us got ready and piled into two cars. We are far to big for fitting in just one. Grandpa lead the way to the restaurant, A taste of Cuba. "Cuban? Really Grandpa? Don't you think everyone will find it funny that a bunch of Italian mobsters are gonna walk in for a taste of Cuba?", I raised an eyebrow as I got out the car. "None sense Lovino! I can't wait to see the drinks they serve!", he quickly got out himself and looked around excited. "Your too old to drink. And can we go some where else? I feel awkward", I complained as I walked to his side. "You're never too old for drinking! Be glad that I'm teaching you this now. And no we can't go anywhere else! Cheer up Lovi, it's not like you'll see anyone you know", cheer up? I'm afraid that's not in my vocabulary. Felicano ran up to us followed by the rest of the family, "Ve! It'll be fun!".

Once in the restaurant, Gramps immediately started trying to talk to everyone in Spanish. I blushed from embarrassment and tried to hide behind Feli. We took our seats in a giant rounded table. We got our menus and oh dear...Gramps started yelling..."My my! What a wonderful selection of fish they have! I've never even heard of any of this stuff!". Half the restaurant was watching and just when I though things couldn't get any worse, "Ve! Fratello look! It's Esmeralda! Haven't you two been hanging out lately? Esmeralda, yoohoo! Esmeralda!". I swear I just died on the inside. Oh please lord, I'll give anything to just disappear! I could feel my stomach clench and I lost my air at the mentioning of her name. Never the less, off in the distance, giggling over my grandpa, was her family. Including her cousin. How embarrassing! To make matters worse, Feli was on top of the table frantically waving at her. "Feli! Get down, your embarrassing me", I hissed as I tried to pull him down but he just kept screaming her name from across the building. She smiled at us and gave a happy wave. I sulked in my seat, face red. After our meal, Gramps decided to let the whole vicinity know how much he liked the food. "Excuse me, but my compliments to the chef!", he let his roaring voice echo. "This was an amazing meal and my grandsons Lovi and Feli enjoyed it greatly!", shoot me now. Esmeralda and Alejandro were laughing hysterically. I just wanted to go home and sit in a corner regretting everything. Worst day ever.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys...Things have been really off for me lately and It got in the way of my writing. I just couldn't write. And when I felt like I could, I had nothing with me to do so. I'm sorry I've been gone for so long, I feel so bad!

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It was Monday and my day was pretty good so far. I noticed Esmeralda wasn't at school, n-not that I was looking for her or anything! I pulled up to the parking lot of the orphanage and noticed a red convertible. That car has never been here before...You know how people dangle things from the little mirrors inside the car? Yeah well this car had a rosary and a Mexican flag. Oh shit. I almost forgot today was the day Esmeralda started her community service. I quickly checked myself before entering the doors. Everything was quiet, as usual. I walked over to Santino's office and saw him chatting with her.

I held my breath and walked in. "Lovino! Esmeralda here tells me you two already know each other! This is great, will you please show her around before starting work?". No. "Of course", I turned to her and forced a smile. She stood there smiling as her long wavy hair was pulled back into a ponytail, capturing every strand of hair perfectly except for her long side bangs. Hell, Santino even gave her one of our uniform polo shirts. Ugly pale yellow things that were surprisingly comfortable. The lettering and trim were red and we were supposed to wear jeans. Some people say they're cute, but I beg to differ. The only difference between mine and hers was that the back of my shirt said 'STAFF' and her's said 'VOLUNTEER'. I also noticed she had a name tag. I couldn't hold in my fake smile anymore due to my dispare, but I managed to pull a successful poker face.

"Ready?", I asked her as I noticed how short she really was, now that I was forced to stand so close to her. I knew she was only a couple months younger then me, but she just barely reached my shoulder! I'm five foot six, so that meant she only reached up to five feet exactly. My face went through a couple expressions as I tried not to laugh at her height. I almost even found it adorable. She shook her head to my answer, "I need to use the bathroom real quick". Santino let her use the one in his office. "I don't see why your so worked up about this. She seems like a great girl", his thick Italian accent addressed to me as my eyes shifted around. "Pfftt...she's probably just manipulating you! I shit you not Santino! She's playing with your brain! You might wanna put up round the clock surveillance", I narrowed my eyes and spoke in my own accent as I cautiously looked behind me. I heard Santino quietly laugh. "Oh Lovino. Or do you think it's YOUR brain she's messing with? Hmm", he crossed his arms and smirked.

I jumped and blushed, "W-what! No of course not. You think so?". I knew he was right. Having her every where I went and having her in my life made me trippy, but I would never admit it. "Si of course Lovi. You kinda jumpy", I didn't want to continue our conversation and luckily, Esmeralda walked out of the restroom. "Okay I'm ready now", she flashed a blinding white smile as I frowned, not looking forward to this whole month. "Follow me", I simply said, walking out the door not waiting for her to start the tour. I heard the door open and close behind me. She was standing behind me, I could tell. Shit. I tensed up as I took in that I was legitimately alone with her for the first time. Sure we've been alone at school, but we were just alone in a room where people were up and about around us. But here, Santino was away in his office and the kids are napping and now I'm stuck giving her this long ass tour around the whole fucking building! And it's a pretty huge building if you ask me.

The tour felt as if it took ages. Although, it wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. Call me crazy, but I swear she lit up when she met the dull kids. She immediately started talking to them and some even smiled. I even heard a couple of little giggles coming from the children. Well that's new. She didn't waste anytime in getting to know each and everyone of them.

We were currently in the middle of an arts and craft session, or more likely, I sat at a desk flipping through a magazine while Esmeralda sat with the kids making macaroni art. I glanced over at them from over my magazine, which was much more interesting if you ask me... She sat at the tiny table and all the kids just crowded around her. They were all laughing there little heads off with bits of glue and macaroni here and there. Esmeralda was trying to peel some dried glue off her hands when a little girl came up to her. I gasped when I realised who it was. Her name is Katy and she always sits in a dark corner and never EVER talks or looks at anyone. She had macaroni tangled up in her hair and asked for assistance in getting it out. Esmeralda wasted no time in peeling macaroni out of the sheer blond ponytail. She was so focused and gentle with the kid. She made allot of facial expressions as she tried to look at the hair from different angles and her tongue stuck out a little. I found my self smiling at her, but then I remembered that she was the goddess of chaos and forced myself to wipe the smile clean of my face. When Esmeralda finally got all of the macaroni out from the thin ponytail, the little girl turned around and threw herself into Esmeralda's arms as if she was forever grateful. Esmeralda returned the hug and wrapped her arms securely around Katy.

I couldn't help but suddenly wonder what it's like to be in those arms, Esmeralda's not Katy's, and had to mentaly slap myself...hard. The door flew open and I quickly turned my attention towards it, trying to distract myself from Esmeralda and the kids. I smiled and fixed my hair as I noticed who just came in. I also noticed Esmeralda raising an eyebrow at me as I made myself even more presentable as I already am. I looked up to see the light of my life walking towards me. The only thing that made this shit hole called life worth it. My beautiful Belgian girlfriend, Femke. We'd been dating for about two years and it's been sort of a domestic relationship. Your usual cliched one. She's so fragile and caring where Esmeralda was unpredictable and rude. She walked over to me with a jump to her step.

I noticed a little wooden basket in her hand as she hugged me and I spun her around. "Hey! What are you doing here?", I asked as she set the basket on the counter and carefully took out it contents. "Well my mother just made some Belgian pastries and I know just how much you love them so I bought you some!", she handed me a little cake and I smiled as I sunk my teeth into it. I said my thank you and I notice her get a little nervous. "Um...Lovino...what's _she _doing here", she gestured towards Esmeralda and I could here the uneasiness in her voice. I sighed and shook my head, "Just some community service, don't worry about it babe". Femke kept looking back and forth between me and Esmeralda. She was sort of paranoid when it came to the Mexican, but she has reason to it. First off, Femke is your definition of a goody-goody, a sweet girl. So girls like Esmeralda don't exactly live up to her fancy. Also, it was Esmeralda's fault that during the whole seventh grade, everyone called Femke Cheesy Puff. When people called her that, on the outside it would seem like they're just calling her a really crappy pet name and they would use that as an excuse when a teacher caught them making fun of her. Why Cheesy Puff? Because before school, everyone in our year decided to have a beach party. The whole grade showed up. Femke kept going on about how she wanted a light tan, so she bought some tanning lotion. Femke's older brother from the Netherlands, Liam, decided to play a prank on her. He's awfully chummy with Esmeralda, so they worked together on the prank. Esmeralda took Femke's tanning lotion before she got to use it and switched it out with extreme, dark, fast working tanning lotion. Well...let's just say Femke got her tan. Sort of...It turned her extremely orange for about two months. Even when the orange faded, everyone continued to call her Cheesy Puff, but thankfully everyone stopped after that year.

I rubbed Femke's arm in comfort. "It's gonna be okay", I assured her. She looked at me with worry in her eyes. "Are you sure? Do you think you're going to be okay?", what. Did she seriously just ask me that. Pshhh! As if I couldn't handle Esmeralda! Ha...ha...uh...I put on my second poker face of the day, "Don't worry about it! I'll be fine. Plus, she seems to be wrapped up in the children". We both looked over to where everyone was trying to paint each other. She looked so happy that it all felt like a dream...and so did the kids. Femke cocked her head to the side, "I've never seen the kids this bright before. Anyways, I have to go". She kissed my cheek but I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her lips, thinking everyone was too busy to notice when suddenly "OOOOOO MR. LOVINO HAS A GIRLFRIEND! HEHEHE!". The kids erupted in giggles and scrunched up faces as they...teased? What the hell did Esmeralda do to these kids. Femke blushed as I told them to shut up. "You see this Miss. Esme! Mr. Lovino kissing a girl! Eww!" Esme? Great, now they have a nickname for her. Esmeralda laughed "And you know what that means?". The kids leaned forward in suspense. "What!", a little voice was heard. "It means he has cooties!", all the kids started screaming and pointing fingers at me and Femke. "EWWW! HE'S DIRTY! AHHH AND HE MAKES LUNCH! EW!", I face palmed.

Katy pulled on Esmeralda's sleeve, "You have to name his type of cooties, Miss". Everyone nodded. Esmeralda pretended to think about it when she suddenly smirked at Femke with her eyes burning into Femke's soul. "He has the Cheesy Puff cooties", all the kids started laughing and Esmeralda started chasing them around. I gave Femke an apologetic look. She looked down and whispered that she had to go. I nodded and walked her out.

Once it was time to go home, Esmeralda and I clocked out and walked over to the parking lot in silence. I cleared my throat once we reached her car, "Well...That was the happiest I've ever seen the kids. They're usually all gloomy and sad". She put her keys in to unlock the door, "I can see why. They're stuck here all day and night and no one pays attention to them". I gave her a quizzical glance, "What's that supposed to mean?". She shrugged, "Nothing. It's just obvious that you don't give two shits about these kids. You just get here and make your point that you don't have time for them. They're left with nothing. You don't give them the care and attention they need. At least Santino keeps the place nice for them. You just leave them here with nothing to do". I felt myself freeze as her words stung me. "And how do you know so much on how to deal with these kids? What makes it so you can understand them so well?", I crossed my arms as she slipped into her car. "I know what it's like to not have your parents around in your life anymore", she said it simply, but it still cut through me. I have absolutely no idea what today was about. The only clear thing that came out of this was the fact that Esmeralda was surprisingly great with kids.


	5. Chapter 5

I literally had no idea what to do next! So how about a random Halloween special to get into the Halloween spirit?! I'm being Batgirl~ Anyways, I hope those of you with plans have tons of fun and stay safe guys! And those who are staying home...Have your own fun! You have no idead how much fun you can have in your own house! XD Well my loves, enjoy~

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I felt my body shake as my stupid brother pounced on top of me. "Happy Halloween Lovi! Oh school's going to be so much fun today, then we have that party tonight! Ahhhh~", he ran out and I noticed he was wearing devil horns. Well that's ironic. I sat up in my bed and stretched. It wasn't that I didn't like Halloween, trust me, it's great! But I just can't see why people get so worked up and pumped about it. Woo guys! Let's go by costumes that we only wear on one night of our entire lives! Yay! Cavities! I rolled my eyes and went to go take a shower.

We were still working on those stupid solar ovens in science class, and of course Esmeralda was still my partner. I have to admit though, we have the best plans for an oven in the class. I can't wait to show it off and then everyone will be jealous of my inner genius. That's right peasants. Be jealous. I walked over to the science lab and was greeted by Esmeralda. "Happy Halloween! Take a lollipop", she shoved a Dum-Dum into my hand and went to go give one to some other kid. I stared at the lollipop, holding it gently in my hands. I looked over at her and saw her making out with Alfred. She had the slightest smile during the kiss and Alfred held her tenderly. Suddenly, this weird tingle hit my chest. I had no idea what it was, so I blamed it on Feliciano's jumping from when he woke me up. I took one last look at the lollipop and shoved it deep in my pocket.

The rest of the day dragged on with people running around in cat ears and capes, girls drawing cat whiskers on with makeup, everyone passing out candy. I actually felt pretty relaxed as I strolled down the school's courtyard. What with the cool wind, autumn leaves, the festivities. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander. Out of no where, I came across the image of Esmeralda kissing Alfred. My eyes snapped open and the feeling returned in my chest, "Dammit Feli...Loose weight". It wasn't that I was jealous...it was just weird. I don't know why, but I can't shake it.

After school, Feli and I got ready for the Halloween party Femke and her brother were hosting. Wait...I just had I thought. Esmeralda and Liam are total buddies...that means she'll most likely be there. I instinctively looked up at myself in the mirror and made sure nothing was off. Nope. Handsome as ever. "WOOF!", the fuck was that! "Woof!",there it goes again. I turn to face the door to see Feliciano already in his costume. "Feli, what the hell are you doing...", did I even want to know? "I'm a werewolf silly~", he wagged his butt and started panting with his tongue hanging out effortlessly. I looked at his costume. Too adorable to be a werewolf, this is so likely of him to wear. I snorted, "Yeah, a baby werewolf". He laughed and ran out howling. I got into my own costume, a hot vamp. Yeah that's right! I'm a vampire! Deal with it, my costume's sexy!

The party was already in full swing once we got there. Feli was currently running around through crowds of people and shoving his mouth with Doritos. I was sitting on the couch having a decent conversation with Femke. "So do you like my costume? I wasn't sure, but I felt an attraction to this Little Bo Peep costume", for some reason, her voice seemed to drone. My mind was elsewhere, looking around the room with anxiety. The back of my mind knew I was looking for You-Know-Who, but the front wouldn't admit it. "Huh? Oh yeah, cute. It's really cute", I said it simply and honestly, I really did think it was, but it wasn't catching my interest at the moment. "Lovino? Are you even listening to me? What's going on in that mind of yours?", she tried to make me look at her, but my eyes kept darting. "Nothing's wrong. Come on, let's go dance", I saw her smile as I took her over to the dance floor just as a new song came on.

The door burst open and party attenders that had apparently decided to go trick or treating came in laughing and seeming out of breath. "Man, those guys will never know what hit them when they wake up tomorrow", it was Liam. He was the first one in, dressed as a skeleton. He took it seriously. He painted his face, had on a fancy blazer and a top hat. A small rose peeped out of his coat pocket. A classy skeleton? After him, came in Ivan Braginsky, "Da, I wish I could be there to see their terrified faces in the morning"...he was always a creepy one. His costume was...Joseph Stalin! Well that's an interesting choice. Then came the annoying cackle of Gilbert Beilschmidt, a pirate lacking a shirt, and Alfred,as Captain America. "Wait, where did our little one go?", Ivan's accent sounded out as he spun around. "I'm right here. I'm short, not invisible!". There. I just knew it was her. And I was right, standing in between ginormous boys, was little Esmeralda dress up as Wonder Woman. I noticed I stopped breathing...she looked over at me and smiled. But it wasn't a "Hey how ya doin'!" smile...it was a sneaky, sly smirk! What the hell does that mean! I shook my head and looked over at Femke who was apparently laughing at some joke she just made. I pretended to laugh, but I found myself looking back at Wonder Woman...and damn...she was quite the wonder in that costume...N-not that I thought it was hot or anything! Not that it made me want to check her out slowly and lick my lips while doing it! No! That's creepy! The costume simply...compliments her. Just like every girl has certain attire that compliments them nicely.

She was swapping candy with Ivan...or should I say Evil Russian Dictator when Femke asked if she could go dance with her friends. I let her go, of course because I'm an awesome supportive boyfriend, and stood around wondering what to do. All night, me and Esmeralda kept eyeing each other, and every time, she had that smirk on her face! What the hell does that smirk mean! And she's flaunting her body so it accents her curves! I can't deal with this! I decided to walk over to her when she was finally alone...so like, when everyone already left and there was only a few people. "Hey, nice costume", I pointed it out casually. Ya know, as if I didn't give a damn. She nodded, "Thanks. Your's is cool". I know! "Yeah. So umm...H-happy Halloween. I see you went trick or treating", I pointed at her bag. She held it up, "Just around. Then Liam and Gilbert decided to be stupid and tee-peed someone's house. You want something?". She held the opened the bag up and I declined politely. "You know I...", hold up! Since when are we standing five inches away from each other! "I haven't been trick or treating in ages", I finished my sentence. I could feel heat rising from my body and suddenly, I craved for something. This feeling was very familiar, but on a category I never knew. I looked down at her and gave a soft laugh. "What! Why not? Trick or treating is like one of those things that never gets old", she also laughed, but when she fixed her Wonder Woman crown, my body flinched as a tingle ran down my spine. "Well no it doesn't. But people do. I guess it's not really my style. I've just been doing parties for the past couple years", I shoved my fist in my cloak pockets, resiting the urge to make a move. Dammit Ladies man Vargas flirty boy! Put it together. "Don't be ridiculous Lovino. You're never too old for that. We get older and older every year. Hold on to the precious things in life while you still can", I saw a twinkle in her eye. Shit, I'm jello.

"I'll tell you what! I'll make you go trick or treating with me next year. You'll have the time of your life, I swear", is that a promise Esmeralda? Shut up! Get your head in the game, why am I feeling like this! Fuck! That feeling in my chest! That's it, Feliciano's going on a diet. It is Feliciano's fault for the chest pains...right? "Oh I don't know...Are you sure you want to spend your Halloween night trying to awaken the child within me?", I allowed myself a small smile. She stepped closer. Our bodies were almost touching...I could feel the energy radiating of her body WHY ARE YOU SO HEAVY FELI! My chest is about to explode right here and embarrass me! "Of course I'm sure. It'll be fun. And like I said, it's always fun to _trick..._" her hand disappeared somewhere "...Or _treat". _Her hand came back and found it's way to my hand as she placed a Reese's double pack in my hand. "Goodnight Lovino", and with that, she left the house. Her cousin came up out of no where and also left right behind her. I twiddled the chocolate in my hand wondering what the hell just happened. Now that I'm thinking like a philosopher...I noticed I always think 'what the hell just happened' after a conversation with her.

I sighed, "Yup. Trick or treat..." I said the later slowly observing my gift. "Treat", I said simply, catching what she pulled off. Wait...then there was a trick! What the hell was the trick! My heart pounded as I remembered when her hand suddenly disappeared. I frantically reached over to my cloak pocket and noticed my ten bucks was gone. How did she even get that with my hand in that pocket! How did I not feel that! I shook my head, but I couldn't help but smile. She was sly. "Trick huh? You sneaky Wonder Woman".


	6. Chapter 6

I think...It turned out longer then I expected. This chapter actually took me a long time. I kept taking stuff out and changing things up and what not. It's hard to write romance scenes when you've lost all motive in your real life romance... I couldv'e made this chapter better. I hate it when your problems effect other things.

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It was disgustingly groggy outside. Dark skies, fog, freezing weather. As if the weather wasn't bad enough, we were currently on the way to a stupid field trip. God do I hate field trips. But at least it was to an art museum and not some stupid science field trip where they made you catalogue everything you hear, see, and smell. I pulled my scarf up closer to my face and watched the bus window fog up with my breath. What? It's not like I had anything better to do...I blew slightly and watched the little foggy patch expand.

I heard laughter from the back of the bus. Esmeralda and crew. They were speaking in Spanish, but I could pick up on a couple of words because of my Italian. From the few words I could understand, I could come to the conclusion that they were making fun of the bus driver.

How do I feel today? I don't even know. I've been so aloof lately, well...more then usual. I'm exhausted. But from what? I don't over work myself and I get plenty of sleep. I've just been doing some deep thinking lately.

I felt a light tug on my hand and looked over at Femke who was sitting next to me. I realized I was barely holding on to her hand anymore, so I gripped it tighter. "Lovino, are you okay? You've been really off these past weeks and I'm...we'll I'm worried about you honey", the concern in her voice was more then obvious. I forced a smile. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Never better", I let out a tiny laugh and rubbed her hand with my thumb. She wasn't buying it. Shit. "Lovino...", she started, but I interrupted her. "No, honestly. Don't worry about me", I kissed her cheek and she finally smiled. It was weak, but at least I got her off my back. I don't need help. Psshhh, none at all.

I heard more laughter coming from the back. One of them decided to speak, the Puerto Rican boy. "Aye bus driver! My Abuela drives faster and better then you and she don't even have a licences!", all his friends started laughing. Femke made a face of disapproval, "Was that seriously necessary? Why do they always do that? It's so rude. And did you catch his bad grammar? Gosh, those kids never bother to learn anything". I continued to look outside my window when suddenly Feliciano jumped up and started shouting from the seat in front of me. "We're here! Ludwig, we're here! Look!", I kicked his seat. "Shut up! You're embarrassing me!", he pouted and slumped in his seat. Why did they let the grade below mine on this field trip as well? I don't want to deal with a bunch of sophomores, especially Feliciano.

The bus came to a stop and as soon as the doors opened, Esmeralda shot up and ran all the way from her seat in the back to the front of the bus and out. "Does she still work with you?", Femke asked me as we filed out. I nodded, "It's just volunteering remember, but I wouldn't be surprised if Santino gave her a permanent job. He and the kids love her". I looked down and spoke monotonously, not really sure how I actually felt about her working with me. At first, I was jumpy and absolutely hated it, but now...I'm not really sure. I looked over at her. We were actually getting along just fine. But we were still on a small talk level.

Once inside the museum, I unzipped my jacket and walked around with Femke. I put my arm around her as we looked at some sculptors. I squinted my eyes and tilted my head. What the hell was I looking at? Hell, if this was considered art, I'm becoming a sculptor. This looks like the shit I used to draw when I bothered with art, but then again, this sculptor most likely has a secret message that's so mind blowing. Fuck it, I'm not becoming a sculptor. "It's beautiful isn't it", Femke breathed out as she pressed her self against me. "Wait, you know what this is?", I raised an eyebrow. Seriously. What the hell was it? She giggled and wrapped herself around me, "No. But it's Leonardo Da Vinci, so it's a masterpiece". I wrapped my arms around her. "Of course it is", I said sarcastically. Don't get me wrong, I think Leo Da V. was a total genius! But trying to find out what the sculptor was gave me a headache. "Come on, let's go look at some paintings", I put my hands on her shoulders but she remained put. "No, let's stay here for a bit longer", she kissed my lips tenderly. Well okay then... I looked around the room to see if anyone was here with us. Nope, coast is clear. I smiled down at her and led her over behind a sculptor of a...swiss cheese? Bad bone marrow? Anyways, once we were safe behind it, I gave her small peck before pulling back the slightest bit and smiled. "You sure you want to do this here? We might get in trouble", I teased the goody two shoes that was my girlfriend. She let out a shaky laugh, she never gets in trouble. "Yes I do. I wish I could be able to do whatever I want, whenever I want, just like you. I want to know what it's like to break a rule", she nervously kissed me back. I bet she was praying that no one saw.

"Oh go home", a voice that was obviously annoyed scoffed from in front of the sculptor causing Femke to yelp. She tore away from me, blushing, and tried to hide behind me. The voice belonged to Esmeralda, and right next to her was a smirking Alfred. "Did you hear that Esme?", Alfred asked sarcastically. "Oh yeah. I mean, what the fuck was that? 'I want to know what it's like to break a rule'!", she made her self sound like a damsel in distress who was running out of breath. The couple started laughing and Femke looked to be on the verge of tears. What a softy, but whatever, it's my duty to stand up for her. I was about to say something slick when Femke spoke up. Her voice was tiny and it quivered, "H-how did you see us?". She hid her face and continued to look down. "Are you serious? Dude, you guys are trying to hide behind a sculptor that's covered in holes", Alfred's tone was snappy, as if he was about to get off on us. "Just shut the fuck up and go away", I found myself saying it. He's so goddamn annoying. "What did you just tell me to do? Say it again and I'll punch all that pasta sauce out of you", Alfred stepped closer to me and straightened up, showing how much bigger he was then me. I staggered back for a moment, but I didn't back down. "You heard me. Shut the fuck up and go away. Need me to repeat it again? I know you're a little on the dumb ass side", I honestly had no idea why I was getting so mad. Usually, I would've just dropped it, and I know Alfred would've too, after he had his laugh of course. It's like I said. I've been really off lately...I wonder if Alfred's going through anything that made him snap so easily. Oh wait...I just remembered. Alfred hates being told what to do. Well shit.

After I spat my insult, I noticed Alfred and I were only a few inches away from each other. I tried to look tough, but the American was naturally doing a much better job then I. "Did you just call me a dumb ass?", he was getting angrier and angrier. I could feel the tension in the room suffocating me, but I didn't stop, "Fuck yeah I did!". Femke's arm shot out and grabbed mine. "Lovino, no! Let's just go. Please. Come on, let's go to the paintings", she tried to desperately pull me away but I easily shrugged her off. "No. Not until this little shit face hears it", my voice was firm. I patted myself on the back. Esmeralda was the only calm one, but she seemed impatient. "I don't have time for this Alfred. None of us do. Let's just go and leave them to their business", yep. She was impatient and annoyed with all of us. Alfred and I were angry, Femke was scared, and Esmeralda was just standing there checking her phone. "Alfred. Let's. Go", her voice was more stern then mine...shit. I suck at being macho don't I? "Not yet. I wanna hear what mister Italiano has to say to me", Alfred addressed his girlfriend, but never took his blue glare off my own hazel glare. "Fine. You want to hear it? I'll gladly tell it", I heard Femke make a frightened noise and Esmeralda faced palmed while sighing deeply. I continued, "You've been a little shit ever since we've first started school in fucking kindergarten. And it's not okay that you carry yourself around like some higher figure and the whole grade has to put up with your shit! Not to mention, you always stick your nose into other peoples business! You never give anyone a chance and you talk too much and make everything about you! You always go around talking about equality, but then you want to go off and label your self the hero and want to put yourself on a higher level! No one likes you and the only people that try to deal with you are Arthur and Kiku, but even they need a break from your obnoxious bull shit! And I don't even know why Esmeralda hangs out with you, none the less, goes out with you! She has better things to do! Oh, and I bet the only reason you're still in school is because of your football and baseball playing. If it weren't for sports, you wouldv'e been kicked out of school a long time ago and stuck working at some greasy fast food place like Mc Donald's because you're stupid as hell!". Fuck. I'm gonna get it. Why did I say that? Oh god... I started to panic. He was boiling and his fist were clenching.I'm going to pay for that aren't I?

BAM! Next thing I know, Alfred has me pinned to the floor and he's punching my face in with his ginormous fist. I can't feel a thing. My face is throbbing and stinging with numbness. His weight on my stomach was making it harder to breathe then it already shouldv'e been. I tried pushing him off, but he was too heavy, I didn't even make an impact. Damn, why does he have to eat so much? I heard Femke screaming and running off to get help. Esmeralda stepped in and was continuously repeating Alfred's name and telling him to stop. She remained calm the whole time, and I think that helped out because at one point, she was able to sit herself next to Alfred and I. She grabbed Alfred's fist and held them carefully. He immediately stopped swinging. "Hun, stop punching and get off of him. Please", he nodded and his breath was heavy. He slowly got off from on top of me and I let out a coarse breath. That doesn't sound healthy. I heard people rushing in and saw Femke standing with our teacher right at my head as I continued to lay on the floor. I looked over at Esmeralda who gave me a sympathetic look as she took in my beaten face. Esmeralda's sad and concerned face looking down at me was the last thing I remembered because I passed out right after it.

Ow. Ow. Ouch! I slowly woke up from my black out to find myself in the schools clinic. I was laying on the patient bed and someone was sitting next to me, tending to my face. I could feel a band-aid on my jawline and whoever this was, was pressing a napkin to my bleeding forehead. I blinked for a bit, letting my vision set in and looked up to see Esmeralda smiling softly at me. I nearly jumped up, but I shouldv'e expected this. Of course. Just my luck. What was up with this? Her being everywhere all of a sudden. What the hell is this? Has God suddenly flipped his shit and became a sadist for me? I bet he has. I tried to smile back at her and sit up, pretending as if everything was okay. I suddenly felt a sharp pain in the region of my body that was everywhere. It felt as if my face was splitting open by the second. I winced. Esmeralda put her hand on my chest and gently pushed me back down, still pressing the napkin to my forehead. I allowed her to do so. She removed the napkin and I saw it was drenched in blood. My blood. I started to feel a little nauseous. She threw it away in a trash can at the head of the bed and reached next to her to get yet another napkin. Am I bleeding that bad? I stretched and looked inside the trash. All I could see was blood. My blood. I was definitely nauseous now. She got a cup of water and helped me sit up to drink it. All I tasted was blood. Ew, blood taste like metal. Nasty. I relaxed back into the bed and she started dabbing my face and neck with the new napkin. Her hands were surprisingly soft, almost baby soft. They were like heaven. Working gently, but pressing firmly. I was receiving no pain from her what so ever. I wanted her hands massaging me all over the place and just to let myself fall asleep to the soft warm touch of her skin. She spoke, sending me out of my trance. "You've been asleep for two hours. Alfred got sent home and was suspended and the reason why I'm the one taking care of you and not Femke is because your girlfriend couldn't handle all the blood", she filled me in calmly. Calm. Her calmness was what saved me and stopped that American bastard from ruining my nice face. Well, it turns out she really knows how to deal with situations.

I nodded and mumbled a thanks. "Oh. no problem. I mean, I wasn't just going to sit here and let you bleed and have all your cuts get infected", she placed a band-aid on the spot she was holding the napkin on when I woke up. "No", I grabbed her wrist softly, making her dabbing pause. "I mean thank you for getting Alfred off of me and making him stop", My voice was barely above a whisper. I felt like my soul shattered and I wanted to cry. I'll never admit it, but I was truly suffering underneath Alfred's blows and I don't know what I wouldv'e done if it weren't for Esmeralda and her calmness. Wait, I suddenly remembered something. Didn't I yell out that Esmeralda was too good for Alfred? Damn. Yes I did. What is wrong with me lately? I'm such a mess. I started to blush, but I'm sure she couldn't tell because of all my cuts, bruises, and blood. Her brown eyes locked a gaze with mine. "Of course...", her voice was soft. Like silk. "I wasn't going to let him beat the shit out of you for telling the truth", so she agreed with my argument? She said he had it coming. Did I? Only after I exploded on him...

I looked at Esmeralda's hand, it was covered in my blood. I suddenly felt bad, damn what is wrong with me! We locked eyes again and I couldn't pull away. Alfred must've done some damage to my brain or something because all I could see was Esmeralda. Having her tend to me and being all gentle was like seeing her in a whole other way I didn't think would ever exist. I think this would be an appropriate time to add in a metaphor. My eyes opened up to her for the first time. I softened my hold on her wrist, but didn't let go. I looked up at her from my spot on the bed as she hovered above me, dabbing completely forgotten. For the first time in eleven years I noticed how bright her eyes were. They were a clear brown that reminded me of the coffee grandpa likes to drink. A sort of dark caramel put against an incandescent light. They sparkled, putting me in a trance. I slowly leaned up, ignoring the pain. Alfred really crushed me with his weight. I steadied myself on my elbow.

She had a long wavy strand that fell in front of her face. We just sat there staring at each other, wordlessly. Too lost to do anything. I reached up with my arm that wasn't being used to hold me up and gently pushed the strand back behind her ear, slightly grazing her cheek. I kept my hand there, rested on the side of her face. She relaxed into my hand and pressed her forehead to mine. We both closed our eyes and I inhaled slowly. She smelled like spices mixed with raspberry perfume. I opened my eyes and seconds later, she did as well. I was lost again. And what's this feeling in my stomach? Anxiety? No. Butterflies? Since when do I get butterflies? My head was buzzing and I couldn't concentrate on anything but Esmeralda. She poured into my soul with her eyes and I felt like jello. I leaned forward a bit, tilting my head up, and she followed suit. Suddenly, as if she remembered where we were, who we were, and the situation, Esmeralda jerked away. She cleared her throat and quickly got up. "You should go wash up", she took out some band-aids and shoved them in my hands. Her hands lingered on mine before she completely let go. I sat there for a moment before everything settled back in. I nodded and went into the bathroom.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I was a blushing mess, but at least not a bloody one thanks to Esmeralda. I looked at all my scratches and band-aids. It looked like Esmeralda put a lot of care and work into my face. I half expected myself to look like Voldemorts brother, but thankfully, my nose was still there. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, expertly missing the curl. Esmeralda Alvarez. Her scent still engulfed me and I could still feel her warm, silky touch on my face. I leaned against the wall. What the hell is going on. I closed my eyes and saw her face. God, that's so cliche. I hate everything. I felt my phone buzz. I looked at it to see that I received a text message from Femke telling me to meet her in the court yard if I was okay enough to leave. Femke. My girlfriend...Right. I have a girlfriend and it's Femke. I opened the bathroom door and looked around the clinic.

Esmeralda was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

I suck. I know. I just let everything get me down and that leaves me with no motivation -_- But to hell with that! I'm trying so hard to get my mind back and flowing. I'm trying guys. I just have alot of issues at the moment that I'm so bland. If you're reading this chapter, thank you so much. My english teacher has a good way of making me feel like a bad writer and like I'm never gonna get anywhere in writing.

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I woke up around two a.m. I was having those weird dreams where nothing was logical and your conscience was trying to tell you something. I was locked inside an abandoned castle, probably from the sixteenth century. All the lights were off, except for a few lighted torches here and there. Just your classic old castle. Smells of death, air is too cold, cobblestone everything. So I was walking around and I couldn't fail to notice what a low sense of fashion the place had when suddenly, a curtain appeared. It was beautiful. Thin red sheet and light seemed to shine from behind it. I walked into it, desperate. As if something was pulling me in. My body was numb, but my mind was buzzing. I was about to be blinded by the light when it suddenly vanished...I was back in the dark. I heard noises, so my dumb self went to go investigate. Uh, rule number one: Never ever ever investigate! I guess that doesn't apply in dreams. I walked through this spinning tunnel and I wanted to puke, but I kept on walking. Suddenly, the tunnel burst into flames and I was in a forest. I ran like mad hell until I saw a phone booth and entered. When I entered, I was back in the castle. I saw a shaking figure. It was Femke. I ran to her weak body. She was crying. I held her and asked her what was going on. Suddenly, all the lights went out. I felt as if I was carrying weights and I lost my smile. Everything was wrong and I felt horrible. Sick and depressed.

She disappeared in my arms. A lady appeared behind me and said something..."You still need to put some pieces together. Then, you will be free. The last piece is already there. You are so close. You just need to realize and get to work". I don't know. Was she like my Fairy God Mother or some shit? I still have no idea what she was trying to tell me. She was some fat Italian lady. I saw another phone booth and decided to go inside. What do you know. Another room in the castle. Esmeralda was there. She was in a renaissance dress and I found myself in old fashioned clothes as well. She offered me pasta and I said yes. She took out a silver platter, but instead of seeing pasta when she opened the lid, a freaking butterfly flew out. Suddenly, all the lights turned on and I felt weightless and unstoppable. Happy and carefree. She started laughing and she took my hand. We danced around for a little bit. She stopped and said it was time for me to wake up, then disappeared. I looked around for her, but my Fairy God Mother popped up. She simply nodded, smiling...Then I woke up. What the hell!

I got up and dragged myself to my bathroom. I turned on the lights and splashed some water in my face. I looked at myself in the mirror. I stared at my own hazel eyes, trying to figure out if I was going insane or not. I studied my face. It was actually healing pretty quickly! I didn't look like a deranged freak anymore. Bravo Lovino, bra-freaking-vo. I sighed. What is life? What is my life? Why is it coming so undone? What am I going to get from this? How am I going to get out of this? Why am I asking my self all these questions! I don't have time for anxiety! I knew a girl once who had a bad case of anxiety and she always looked so worn out and tired. She said she never rested. She's in a psych ward now...No one talks about it anymore...

I continued to look at myself. I'm an attractive guy, but at the same time, I'm not. I'm lanky and not buff. I'm short. I have an awkward curl that hangs out. But I am attractive...don't get me wrong. It's my personality that needs fixing. I'm cold and stubborn. I've built up my walls over time because I'm so pathetic. Why do you think I walk around acting like I'm top and tough shit? So I don't loose myself and let my confidence go crumbling down. I mean come on...I'm good with verbal attacks, but I always seemed to get bullied...and sometimes beat up. So I have to amp up my charm and put others down. Like Feli and Antonio. Well...me and Antonio aren't exactly buddie buddie anymore. I remember we started to fade when he started dating Esmeralda. He was always to dumb or oblivious to notice my verbal attacks. It was great. He knew I needed to vent in that way and he let me. He was okay with it. He knew I needed to constantly put him down and that he wasn't supposed to snap back. He was my best friend...But then we started getting really distant. He always had me as his first choice, but then he started to only talk to me when no one else was around. And he didn't pay attention to me. He wouldn't say hello when I walked into class. He wouldn't walk out with me like he used to.

Then one day, out of the blue, he said he was done. It turns out he was getting peer pressured into standing up to my bullying. They manipulated him to change his mind on our friendship. He said I had issues that I needed to solve. He said he didn't need to be put down all the time. I was so confused. He understood me and why I was like that then..POOF! It was like I was talking to someone else. So I'm a loner. A loser. I have no friends. I suck. I only have Femke and Feli...But I don't know about Femke. She doesn't understand me. I can't let my walls down to her. Everything has to be so peachy perfect. I don't want that kind of relationship. I want a sentimental one...Gosh I'm such a sap. A relationship with someone who likes to have pointless fun and drive me to the point where I'm laughing for hours. Someone to work and grow with. They know my problems and I know theirs and we help each other out. Someone who has a good view on the moral of life...

I sighed heavily and mumbled a few words of frustration in Italian. I let my mind wander to Esmeralda. I was alone, so what was the danger right? She's so real. I remember when we were working on our solar ovens, she told me that the oven at her house broke and she fixed the whole thing by herself. I tried to imagine Femke getting down and dirty and just couldn't even picture it. Femke is so fragile. Esmeralda has life experience. She's been through hell and back. She's fought and worked hard for what she has. Sure she has flaws, but so do I. Sure she's a trouble maker and needs some fixing up, but it's who she is. Her life has turned her into that rough little rebel. She knows every corner of the dark and isn't afraid to face it.

I sat there and continued to analyze the Mexican. Then it hit me. When you stop being biased and stubborn about reputation, when you look at everything in a neutral point of view, you realize that Esmeralda is one of the most amazing people you'll ever meet. She's so dynamic and has tons of personality, her own personality. I always tell myself I'm too good for her company, but now I'm not even sure...

I thought about the way she took care of me while Femke ran away from the blood. I never knew Esmeralda could be so gentle. Like all these years, I just told my self she doesn't have a heart, but it might just turn out that she has one of the biggest hearts ever. The saying 'Don't judge a book by it's cover' just kneed me in the balls. People will always surprise you. She was just...being so nice and careful not to hurt me. And she apologized for her stupid boyfriend. I remembered her face. She smiled, but she looked concerned. Was she actually worried about me? I thought to how she is with the orphans. They light up and she joins in with their activities. It's so amazing to realize that side of her. I always told myself to stay away from her, but now I want to get close...Is that weird? I also remembered the way I felt when her face was so close to mine. I was nervous and my stomach had butterflies...Looking into her eyes was hypnotic. Her scent surrounded me. I still remember it from when she took care of me and we almost...uh...yeah.

Dammit Lovino. I felt my stomach flutter. You're either going insane or developing a crush. Please let it be the first. I prayed for my sanity while I remembered the three major D's that gramps taught me.

Deny, deny, deny.

I'm not developing a thing for Esmeralda. I don't think she's the most amazing person I've ever met. I don't think she's beautiful.

There. I'll just keep repeating that to myself and I'll be able to sleep soundly. Right? Wrong! The more I keep denying, the more my stomach flutters. I'm getting no sleep tonight...


	8. Chapter 8

I had no idea what to do! So just consider this a filler chapter. We'll get down to business next chapter! And if anyone has any questions, like if you're confused or have any suggestions! I'd be glad to hear it and answer the questions~

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I felt a slight poking at my face. I swatted it away, half asleep, but the poker came back. I kept my eyes closed, but shut them even more, trying to focus on what was poking me and trying to go back to sleep. Then I heard it.

"Ve...Ve...Ve..."

I shot up, "Feliciano! What the hell!" He was kneeling next to my bed, fully awake. He's a morning person. It's annoying as hell. All I want in the morning is to be left alone but he's always jumping around in the kitchen singing and asking me about my dreams. It was Saturday and I had planned to do some major sleeping in. Especially so I could make up for the lack of sleep from last night.

He tilted his head, as if he forgot why he had to come wake me up in the first place, but then he lit up stupidly. "Oh si! Mama told me to tell you that if you don't wake up soon, you'll be late for work!"

"Shit!" I cursed as I jumped out of the bed and rushing past Feli, knocking him down in the process. I forgot about work! I quickly threw some pants on and my employee shirt. I fixed my hair carefully as I looked at myself in my mirror and made sure I looked hot as always. Not that I need to try. It just comes naturally. I thanked myself for taking a shower last night, I didn't have time for one today. I grabbed some cologne, Italian of course, and lightly sprayed my self. I was about to dash downstairs when Feli spoke up.

"Fratello! You're not wearing any shoes!" he pointed at my feet, as if he was feeding from my need to hurry.

"Fuck!" I slipped on some socks and got into my sneakers. Then, I dashed out the door. I went down the stairs, two at a time. I heard my grandpa laugh at me, but I didn't stop to bitch. In the kitchen, my mom decided to state the obvious.

"Hurry up Lovino. You shouldn't be over sleeping when you have responsibilities" and blah blah blah. I grabbed my breakfast and shoved it down my throat. Once I was done, I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth and do any last minute stuff. I splashed my face and breathed as I looked at the wall clock. I had managed to catch up with time. I grabbed my phone and headed over to the orphanage.

As I pulled up in the parking lot, I felt my stomach go into a gymnastics routine. I was in such a rush that I forgot about seeing Esmeralda here. I felt really awkward about facing her...especially with what happened when she took care of my face and my thoughts from last night. I cleared my throat and yawned. Damn, I really should've picked up some coffee in my way here. I rubbed my eyes and sat there for a moment, almost falling asleep. It took everything I had to drag my ass out of my car and into the building.

Immediately the sound of laughing and screaming children filled my ears. I remember the first time that happened. I was really confused and thought a movie was playing, but now, the noise is familiar. Esmeralda is unexpectedly wonderful with kids. I never knew she could be so patient. I wondered about what was going to happen when her sentence was up and she had to leave. Would the children go back to being depressing and gloomy? Most likely, I don't do anything to make them happy, so everything will go back to the way it was.

I checked in and walked into the large room everyone was in. I yawned once more as a little girl ran right past me, almost knocking me out of balance. The room was insane! They looked like they were having the time of their lives. They were chasing each other and laughing at the top of their lungs, but strangely, they were all behaving...Esmeralda couldn't yell at them because there was no reason to! No one was being violent, no one was being mean, no one was dancing on the tables, nothing was being thrown. Just a game of hide and seek and tag going on at the same time.

Speaking of Esmeralda, I saw her sitting at one of the tables getting gum out of a little girls hair. The concentration on her face was intense. I wondered how the girl got gum in her hair. I looked at the time out corner and saw a little boy. I smirked, knowing he was guilty.

Esmeralda got all the gum out and brushed out the girls hair. The little girl turned around teary eyed and gave Esmeralda a bear hug, then ran off. I saw a slight smile play on her lips as I walked over to her.

"He-hey" shit, did I just stutter! I mentally faced palmed. She looked up at me and her eyes widened. "Looks like somebody missed out on their beauty sleep" she laughed as she took in my exhausted sight. I nodded and rubbed my aching eyes, "You have no idea"

She looked around and I could tell she was thinking. "Well why don't you just take a quick nap. I got the kids, they're doing fine" she looked back at me with her stupid big chocolate eyes that shined with kindness I've never seen before...

What the fuck? Great, I'm turning into Shakespeare now. That was defiantly different though. I never got poetic or deep with any girl...

On the inside, I was jumping up and so ready to nap, but I had to pretend like I was a noble worker just so I wouldn't look bad. "You sure? They look pretty rowdy today" I watched a girl spin around the room. "Yeah, I've been doing a pretty good job on my own so far. A few more minutes wouldn't hurt. And plus, it's not like you ever watch them anyways", shit. She just snapped didn't she? I could feel my face pale. I honestly felt guilty. I don't care about these kids! But when you put it that way...

I couldn't think of anything to say, so I just stood there. She took a pillow from the reading corner and threw it at me. "Great to see your face has healed", her voice was plain, but I still blushed. "Y-yeah. Thanks" she nodded as was tugged away by a boy who wanted to show her his stack of cards.

I drifted off for who knows how long. I woke up and the room was empty and dark. There was sticky note on my forehead...I peeled it off and read it.

_'We're in the art room. I didn't wanna wake you up cuz you looked really messed up', Esme, beyotch_

I couldn't help but smile, even if her comment did make me a little self conscience. But she let me sleep longer...that's nice of her. I went over to the art room. The kids were a lot quieter now, focusing on their paper mache. Esmeralda was sitting by herself, looking at her fingernails. I sat next to her and noticed that her nails were painted an apple red. She looked at me and smiled softly, I slightly returned the smile. "Do I still look really messed up?" I noticed that made her smile grow a little. She shook her head, "You should thank me for letting you sleep longer. So let me guess, bad night?" I sighed deeply and nodded, not really wanting to get into the topic of why I had a bad night.

I guess she could sense my awkwardness because she didn't ask me about it. "Do you want to help me with something?", she suddenly asked. I became nauseous as every possible provocative question filled my brain. I swallowed and nodded tentatively. I watched her carefully as she took out her folder that was filled with reports and information. She took out a piece of paper that looked like homework. "I take Italian", she said simply. I knew it though. She already got all of her foreign language credits with Spanish, but because of her poor performance in school and grades, they made her take another year of a different language to make sure she'd fill in the gaps. "I'm pretty good at it, but I just want to have it doubled checked by someone who knows what they're doing before I turn it in", she pushed the paper towards me.

I subconsciously took it and looked it over. "Wow, is Esmeralda Alvarez taking school seriously?", I found myself joking. Instantly, the mood lightened and she snorted. "Please Lovino. I just need to pass my next test so I can laugh at my teachers face" she rolled her eyes and laughed. I read everything and was actually impressed. Everything was correct. One hundred percent. Usually kids have trouble with their foreign language bit it was as if she was Italian herself. "You really got this. Everything's correct. How are you so good at Italian?" I handed the paper back as I rose an eyebrow.

"I'm not fluent, but Italian is a lot like Spanish. If I don't know something, I just look for a similar Spanish word and go for it. Or I look at the root word and context", she shrugged. My jaw dropped, "Oh my God you're actually smart?". I quickly covered my mouth. I didn't mean to say it! It's just...when someone is always failing and not bothering to do anything about it, you get ideas! She looked taken aback, but not insulted. Thank God because I know what she can do to insulters and it scares me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that" I quickly apologized.

She smiled, "It's okay. I get it. A lot of people don't expect me to have potential". I tilted my head, "So why don't you try? Show everyone up?" She just shook her head, "I don't know. I just don't have time or don't care". She looked right at me. "Well you should care..." I said softly. "Nah, I've got other things to worry about. I don't need to overload my self"

A loud bell rang, signaling lunch. The kids would go to the dining hall where the cooks would look after them and me and Esmeralda were free to do what we wanted for an hour. The kids rushed out. I saw Esmeralda grab her stuff and headed towards the door. I don't know what made me do it, but as much as I told my mind 'No', my body didn't listen. I quickly grabbed her arm, "Wait!" It came out panicky. I was nervous...She looked at me and I forced myself to make eye contact. "Yes?" she didn't bother to move her arm away from my grip. "Uh...I was um..I was wondering if you wanted to uh..join me for lunch maybe?" the last part came out really fast. I felt like a looser, stuttering while trying to make plans with a girl. I'm Lovino! That never happens! I'm a smooth Casanova. I felt my heart pound about thirty miles per second, I thought it was going to literally fly out my chest.

She smiled, "Sure". I felt myself let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Great", I let go of her arm, but didn't know what to do with my now free arm. I scratched my neck as I continued to look down at her. "So...are we going now?", she said. "Oh! Uh...yeah! Sorry about that!".

I'm such a loser

She got into my car, I'm so glad I cleaned it last week! She just sat there and looked around. She said it was nice and I nearly dropped my keys. It took me a few times to get the key into ignition, but after a couple of shaky times, we were finally on the road. "Music?" my voice came out sounding a bit dry and I mentally punched myself as I turned on the radio.

We drove in silence, but there was no awkward tension. I pulled to a stop at the light and could slightly hear her humming. I looked over at her and saw her drumming her fingers to the beat. She was looking outside the window, observing everyone that walked by on the sidewalk. I got distracted by watching her that a loud car horn dragged me back to life. "Okay I get it!...Bastard...", I started the car and Esmeralda laughed.

I pulled up to a little Italian cafe. A real one. Owned by Italians, employed by Italians, and Italian everything. A short guy gave us menus and we took a seat by the windows in a booth. We sat across from each other. I felt at an advantage, maybe this time I won't be such a wreck. I felt right at home here. Did I mention this was my favorite cafe?

She was looking at the menu, but mine was untouched. I've memorized and eaten everything on the menu. "You should try their Strombolis" I smiled smoothly as I leaned back. She set down the menu and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and now you're an expert on this place? Am I just supposed to trust you and order this Stromboli thing?", she smirked at me. "Actually, I am an expert. And the Strombolis are delicious. I'll order it if you order it", I said cooley. She pretended to think about it, "Deal"

We nodded at each other and then looked outside the window. I decided to stretch out my leg, but I felt it rest against something. My heart stopped when I noticed it was Esmeralda's leg. I paled as I slowly shifted my eyes towards her. She seemed content and not bothered, her leg didn't move. She either hasn't noticed, or doesn't mind. I slowly relaxed as I let our legs touch.

The waiter came over with our food and we immediately got to work. I watched her eat every last bit. "Damn, I didn't know you could eat like that" I teased. She rolled her eyes "You're not the first person to say that". We both laughed and I high fived my self. Success. Now, I just have to think about what I'm going to do with my self...

"Can I tell you something?" I played with my fork as I counted the number of red cars in thhe parking lot. "Go for it" she leaned forward and played with her fork. "I've never bought anyone here with me before" I admited, looking at her. She tilted her head, "No one? Not Feliciano? Not Antonio? Not Femke? Your girl!". She gave a playfull laugh and I shook my head. "Nope. Not my brother, ex best friend, or my girl" I laughed at the last part, repeating Esmeralda. "Well then...why'd you decide to bring me here?" she had stopped playing her fork and looked right at me. I looked at the table and played with my napking. I shrugged, not really knowing the answer my self. "Guess there's nothing wrong with a little sharing everyonce in a while" I folded the napking into a shitty origami. "Well. It is my honor to be your first companion here" she chuckled. I handed her the origami, "Here, take my token of appretiation". She looked at it, not really knowing what to do with it. I mean come on...it's pretty bad. My brother's the artist! Not me! "Oh uh...look, it's a little umm...". I smiled, "It's a swan". She grinned as well, "A swan! Thank you very much".

What am I doing with my self.


	9. Chapter 9

It still fazes me that I actually have an audience who enjoys my imigination...I really hope this starts coming along so i dont have to keep writing filler chapters...Yall are great yo.

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Oh lord...I have to get out of here! I raised my hand and asked permission to use the restroom just as the health video began describing the process of fertilization. I have heard this speech one too many times! I rounded my way out of the dark classroom and into the hallway. I was drinking some water when I heard footsteps behind me. I expected them to keep on walking, but the footsteps stopped right next to me. Well, if they we're going to stand behind me and wait for a drink, be my guest because I'm taking my time. It seems as if this mystery person had a different idea...They leaned against the wall all cool and shit and smiled down at me.

"Oh...Hey Antonio..." I frowned, this dumb ass was nothing but bad news.

He flashed me that stupid smile at me that every girl swoons over, "Hola Lovino. Long time no talk huh?"

"I was actually hoping we could keep it that way" I rolled my eyes. "Okay, let's get this over with. What the hell do you want" I'm pretty sure you could hear the aggravation in my voice because I was trying pretty damn hard to make it obvious!

He giggled...the dude actually giggled. "Same old Lovino huh? I just wanted to chat! There's no harm in that is there? Why can't I come and say hello to an old friend?"

I know that look...I know that tone...something's up. "Don't bull shit me you bastard. I know you well enough to know when you've got something going on through that useless brain of yours, so just save both of us the time and tell me what's up"

Antonio frowned and leaned forward so we were eye to eye. Believe it or not, this big teddy bear can actually become a scary mother fucker. I stood straighter, gotta keep my cool and can't show him I'm intimidated. Not that I'm intimidated! Fuck no, I'm not scared of shit! I just...Oh fuck it, whatever.

"I've been hearing around that you've been spending quite a lot of time with Esmeralda. Is this true Lovino?" shit. I should probably run...No Lovino! Be cool...be...cool...

I rolled my eyes, "Oh come on! You can't possibly still be obsessed with her. Yeah I've been spending time with her, but chill out, it's not like I'm smooching her face off or anything!"

Antonio narrowed his eyes and I'm pretty sure I gulped. "You better not be, and I'm not obsessed. I just know what's rightfully mine and I have to keep it that way. She's mine, don't forget that. And if I ever do catch you smooching her face off, you got another thing coming", and with that, he turned around and walked away.

"You're such a possessive freak you know. She's not an object and it looks like you're doing shitty job seeing that she's with Alfred and not you!" I should really learn to think before I speak.

He turned back around and walked towards me, all six feet and all. "You're right Lovino, she's not an object, she's the love of my life and don't ever call me a freak again, you hear me?" he glared down at me, ignoring the part where she was with that stupid blond boy and not him. I nodded slowly and he lit up, giving me a toothy grin. What the actual fuck. He ruffled my hair and giggled. "You're so understanding Lovino, thanks man!" then he pranced away. Okay...what just happened. My ex best friend just threatened me for hanging out with his ex girlfriend who I many or may not be seriously crushing on but she's dating an American who's always eating and not to mention beat me up a couple of days ago. Damn.

I walked back to class, taking the long way thinking about what Antonio just said. Jeez, what has my life come to? It's like someone took it and let it spiral around them like a demented ballerina. I sighed and opened the door, taking my seat with no one noticing me. Thank every all mighty power that the class ended shortly after. School was over and I really had no plans...Santino gave Esmeralda and I the day off and I really had no intentions on going home right now. I said goodbye to Feliciano and began walking around aimlessly. I heard voices and I creeped around the corner like a fucking stalker, but a cool stalker, with really cool spy music playing in my head. I saw Esmeralda with Gilbert and Francis. No one else was around so I was able to hear everything they said. Is eavesdropping wrong? Hell yeah. Do I give a fuck? Hell no.

"So I guess I'm just incapable of feeling love huh?" Esmeralda crossed her arms and let a strand of hair fall over her face.

"Oh no no no! No body is incapable of love! It is something everyone will feel! No one is not meant for love, that's crazy!" Francis grabbed her shoulders and she rolled her eyes.

"I figured you'd say something like that. Look. Esmeralda. I know you've been lied to and deceived with most of your experience with love, but you really just need to leave Alfred. For good. He's wasting your time and blocking you from finding your true man. He could be just around the corner for all we know. Shit, don't get so down, I know he's out there" Gilbert tried to reason with her and I felt my heart stop.

I was around the corner...No, this had to be coincidental and not some stars in alignment destiny trap. I listened closely as they continued to talk.

"And besides, you're still young. There are plenty of guys out there. Now, they wont be as awesome as me, but they'll be perfect for you. How about that Vargas kid? Lovino. I see you guys have been getting pretty chummy. So how about it? You got the hots for him or what" Gilbert nudged her shoulder and holy fucking shit was that a blush on her face!

She smiled softly and shook her head. "No, Lovino's pretty cool and all but he's just a friend I guess. Well...I guess we're friends. I don't know actually, he's kind of weird" ouch, fine be that way. So she considers us friends? I felt myself light up but then I remembered she just said she wasn't sure if I considered her mine, friendships don't happen if only one person puts in effort, just saying from experience.

Francis laughed lightly, "Love works in mysterious ways my dear. He could very well be the one, you will find out in time. Do me a favor and let love take its course, be patient with it. Promise me you'll keep your heart open". She nodded, does that mean she's agreeing with that perv? That she's taking into consideration that I could be this so called 'one'. Am I though? Crap, I hate these conflicting feelings. I guess it's pretty obvious by now that I like her, but it's not like I'm in love with her or anything. Besides, she didn't argue when Francis said I could be her soul mate, so I'm guessing I'm not entirely friend-zoned...Right?


	10. Chapter 10

So I'm on break and my head is in the game. My creativness is jolting like cray lately. So Ive devised an update schedule. you will have a new chapter every other week.

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"Lovino! Lovino! Ahem!"

So some asshole is currently trying to catch my attention. Let's get out of the dizzy haze I'm in and see who could deem themselves worthy of my company. I sunk back to Earth and saw a hand waving in my face, I traced said hand all the way to a face and hey, it's my prom date. I rose an eyebrow at Femke and she just pouted. She pouted like a fucking snot nosed child.

"Lovino, you have been stuck with your head in the clouds for about five minutes! I've been trying to get your lazy ass up to dance but you just can't seem to register what's going on right in front of you!" she tapped her heel, was she expecting an explanation? If you ask me, I think she needs to calm down. Nothing wrong with a little daydreaming.

So she wants an explanation? Oh, she's getting one. "Oh I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I am a complete doozy asshole. I'm so sorry that I got lost in the tunes of pop culture hipster beats. They just reach down and I feel at home, I feel connected with this primaddona music. Can you blame a guy for letting music run his mind? Femke, I think I want to run for prom queen! is it too late?" well that seemed to piss her off. Of course it was all a lie, this music is shitty. Sometimes, I think I'm purposefully trying to ruin our relationship. I mean, when the news of prom first started coming up, I just looked at her and told her that her dress better match my suit. So if you think I'm seriously loosing interest, you might be right.

Lucky for me, one of her friends came over to take her away. So I was stuck there, staring at a red solo cup filled with punch as some booty bouncing song replaced the girl world music. I looked over at Femke, dancing with Eleziveta and some other girl with large tits. What they were really doing, was fist pumping and occasionally jumping. They looked like idiots, but they were having fun, so no harm was being done. I mean, maybe it was time I left the Belgian. We had our share in fun and let me tell you, at first, I was seriously into her, but lately...I can't say the feeling is still here. I feel like time is a drag when I'm with her, and I have no idea what can be possessing me to think I'm wasting my time with Femke! And hey, if you just whispered Esmeralda under your breath, I'm going to punch you in the face.

Speaking of which...I found Esmeralda sitting alone a couple tables away from where I was. Feliciano tells me she wasn't going to come, considering she took Gilbert's advice on leaving Alfred for good. He says that Esmeralda had to get her head in the game and leave his sorry ass. Apparently, he was heart broken. I don't believe that for a second. If you ask me, I'd say he was pissed and stormed out in rage, but who am I to make scenarios out of a relationship I don't know anything about. So anyways, cutting to the chase, her cousin Alejandro had convinced her to come, which I think is pretty fishy considering he didn't show up himself. So through my obscure observation skills, I saw Esmeralda come in with Gilbert, but they were just carpooling. She spent some time with Francis, Gilbert, Ivan, and even Femke's brother, but now she's just sitting there all alone and eating a plate full of cookies.

I contemplated on whether or not I should join her. Antonio was here, I saw him chatting up a storm with Arthur and Francis, but...who cares if he sees me hanging out with Esmeralda! Right? I didn't need some bastard giving me orders and telling me who I can and can't hang out with. I can do whatever I want. But then there was Femke, she's already mad at me, she'll be even madder to see me paying attention to Esmeralda when I zoned out on her. After a few more moments of biting my lip and looking back and forth between Esmeralda and Femke, I decided to get up and pop a squat right next to the lonely Mexican. Not because I wanted to talk to her and hear her laugh and seeing the way she coyly rose her eyebrow, pfft of course not. Because when two people are lonely, why not make company?

She was in a long red dress and her wavy hair was down, as if she didn't put any effort into getting made up at all. She didn't see me coming, but hell did she notice me when I almost missed the chair on my way down. I straightened out my black tie, trying to recompose myself.

"So uh...Your sentence is almost up. You gonna miss the orphanage?" I'm trying okay! But what does one say after he almost fell off of a chair! She took a long and good look at everyone on the dance floor before turning back towards me and smiling softly. Jeez did she look bored out of her mind.

"I guess so. I mean, it wasn't a total waste of time like all of my other community services, so it was definitely a good sentence while it lasted" she shrugged. That's it? Come on, start rambling about how it brought us together and could've been a move of fate. Come on! You know you want to! I hope you want to... "Anyways, I've only got two more weeks to go. Think you'll be okay with going back to dealing with the kids all by yourself?"

"Are you kidding me? I think they're starting to warm up to me! I mean, they may like you more and may get antsy once you're gone, but I can manage" I was pretty sure a lot of the kids were going to miss her, she has such a way with kids, it's quite odd really. And maybe, just maybe, I was going to miss working with her too. I know we still have school, but at the orphanage, I really got some one on one with her and we really hit it off over there. I heard her mumbling something about how bored she was. "I don't understand, aren't you suppose to be a party animal?" Esmeralda never missed a party, and even sometimes, she would crash one with a couple of her little cronies.

"And aren't you supposed to have a date? I guess we both don't reach our standard tonight" she handed me a cookie, which I gladly took. Her eyes trailed off to different parts of the room and I noticed a pattern. This time, I made sure to follow her eyes, which continuously landed on Alfred by the snack bar, and Antonio on the dance floor. Her face was blank, unamused and bothered.

"Just look at those smug assholes. Take a good look at them Lovino. With their smug grins and their smug shoes and their smug ties and smug hair" she took an aggressive bite out of her cookie, her tone was low and edgy, i thought she was going to crumble up the cookie in her hand out of angst or some similar shit.

"Uh...sorry you kind of lost me" I said honestly. She rolled her eyes and stood up.

"I want to leave" her voice was so persistent, it caught me by surprise. I stood up as well, chair screeching behind me. "So, are you coming with me or are you going to sit here by yourself while your date has the time of her life with her best friends?" she had a hand on her hip and her eyebrow was raised slightly.

I felt a jolt of adrenaline rush through my body as I thought of all those scenes from shitty movies where the characters leave the lame prom and stain their fancy outfits with hot sauce from some fast food restaurant and drive through town, making it a night to remember. I was ready to leave this building when..."But I can't just leave. I mean, I'm not Femke's ride, but wouldn't it look super douchy if I just left?"

She groaned, "Then leave her a note and let's go!". Wow, was I seriously about to ditch Femke and go hang out with Esmeralda? Come on, this took some serious thinking. Was I going to leave my girly date to go do who knows what with a rebellious friend?

Well I guess the answer was yes since I was currently chasing Esmeralda down the parking lot and didn't leave a note behind. We easily found my car and slipped into it, that was when I made sure to send a text to Femke saying that some trouble popped up at home. I know if I didn't at least leave a heads up, I was in for some serious bitching. So I made it so I was in for a little bit of bitching.

I let her turn up the radio all the way to where we had to yell to understand each other, but it didn't matter because our stupid excitement was making yelling a subconscious decision. She kicked off her heels and sat criss crossed as I drove through the streets looking for a decent fast food restaurant, and not Mc Donalds because I know a certain smug asshole loves that place. So I found a Taco Bell and ordered a dozen tacos. Were we going to eat them all? Who knows; I figured we could just dump the rest in the ocean or something. I don't know what came over me, but as we drove through the highway and through the city streets, eating tacos and yelling at people who dared honk at us, I found myself laughing like an idiot, and shoving my face with six tacos, and singing along horribly to the radio with Esmeralda. I felt alive, I felt free. Is that wrong? Should I be feeling this way? I was never like this with Femke, but I couldn't control myself right now. My mind just told me to have a good time, and that's exactly what I did. They were so different...Esmeralda and Femke I mean. Femke was so fragile and poised, while Esmeralda was so alive and carefree. Was it wrong of me to want to be with Esmeralda instead?

It was around midnight when we found ourselves up on a hill, laying down on the roof of my car, with the city's skyline right beneath us. I had my tie undone and my jacket was off, allowing myself to feel the cool breeze. We had calmed down a little and let the silence join our company.

"Just think, if it weren't for me, you'd still be sitting at that stupid table, watching Femke dance with her little friends. But now, here you are, laying down on your car with a stomach full of greasy tacos" I heard Esmeralda next to me, and judging by the sound of her voice, she seemed pretty pleased with herself.

I shifted around and placed my hands over my stomach. "Yeah, I'd say thanks, but I'm pretty sure I'll be yelling at you later when I'm having some serious shit problems thanks to all those tacos. I'll right my thank you note with my puke, I'll slip it in your locker and everything" I heard her laugh and a smile tugged at my lips, Femke hated my sarcasm, but to Esmeralda, it met up with her sass.

"Well as long as it's not written in shit, I'm sure I'll be flattered" she sat up, looking at the city below us, every single building luminated with bright lights and the sound of buzzing cars was barely audible.

I followed suit, but instead of looking at the city, I looked over at her. "Well you should be, considering you got me to make a complete fool out of myself" her head turned towards mine and that was when I looked straight ahead, avoiding her gaze. She asked me what I meant by that and I could still feel her gaze on me. "I just mean, that you totally saw a Lovino that no one, not even Femke or Feliciano, gets to see. And now that you know I can be a crazy, laughing asshole who can eat six tacos, you're going to try and see him more often"

"Well" she began, and I slowly faced her, "Not that I don't love the cold and pissy Lovino, because trust me, he's pretty amusing, I would also like to see more of the loose and worry free Lovino, because I really like him. So yeah, I'm going to try and get more out of him. But not in public because we wouldn't want to soil your little tough reputation" my smile grew, it was if a lock just broke off and I didn't have to worry about trying to be this tough guy with no feelings. I could relax and enjoy myself without worrying about being seen differently or being judged. Her hand was so close to mine, I couldn't help myself, so I took it in mine. She didn't freeze or flinch, she laced our fingers together and with her other hand, wiped away a strand of hair.

"And you know what? I don't even think you'd have to try to get him to come out. I think that Lovino is going to be poking his head out whenever you're around" for the first time in a long time, my head wasn't buzzing, i didn't feel like a nervous nutcase. I used my other hand to take that strand of hair that kept falling in her face and tucked it behind her ear. She smiled at me and that's when I noticed I couldn't keep fighting my feelings for her. No matter how I kept denying that I didn't like her, or how many times I keep telling myself it was just a small crush, sitting here and seeing the way she smiled at me, made it clear that I was falling hard. And that's why I was losing interest with Femke. Femke isn't the one for me. Sure, she's great, but we're clearly not made for each other. Everything about tonight felt right, nothing out of line, and I spent it with Esmeralda. So maybe, Esmeralda really is the one I'm made for? There was only one way to find out.

I mustered up my shitty bravery and slowly leaned in. Painfully slowly actually, I'm feeling a little hesitant. In the middle of my leaning in, I felt a soft pair of lips press against mine and that's when I knew she was leaning in as well.


	11. Chapter 11

Oh look an update just as promised! So this is just kind of Lovi catching you guys up on his life as of recently

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It's been about two weeks since Esmeralda and I made out on the roof top of my car like a cliched romance scene or whatever. The moon was high and my heart was pounding, we both leaned in slowly and when our lips touched...holy fucking shit it was perfection. First off, let me say I was so nervous that I thought I was going to puke on her, but thankfully, I stayed cool and no one vomited. The kiss was slow and soft with your occasional 'holy shit was that a firework?', somewhat careful, as if it was a test, and judging by her confident smile after we pulled away, I passed with a fucking A. That smile...I can't get it out of my head. It's like every time my mind wanders off, I see it clear as day as if she was standing right in front of me. It was such a soft but sure smile, her eyes looked right into mine, gazing softly and warmly as she held onto me lightly. Her lips easily lifted up into a smile as I found myself unable to tear away from those large brown eyes. It was as if something snapped into place that made everything perfectly fine and it was all because of me.

So after I smiled back, unable to help myself, we stayed like that for a bit before he hopped in my car and I drove her home. She thanked me for the ride, we said goodnight, I hauled ass out of her neighborhood before I got shot by someone because her neighborhood is fucking dangerous, and that was that.

Actually, that wasn't the end of it. Far from it, my reading friend who is interested in my pathetic life for some reason.

You see, after that little make out session on prom night, Esmeralda and I have been going at it every chance we get. In secret corners at school, in my car at the parking lot, in the break room of the orphanage; hell, Santino walked in on us once and all he did was give us one of those all knowing smirks and walked out. Fucking asshole, who the hell did he think he was? Our hookups were a lot different from our adorable little first kiss. The hookups were hungry, passionate, confident and a little sloppy at times but they were always passionate, as soon as we were sure no one was going to find us, we'd latch on to each other and completely ravish one another. We'd pass by each other and say these ridiculous pick up lines like:

"Hey, would you like me to come over and butter your muffins?"

And then she would say,

"Depends, is your dick toll free?"

I knew it was wrong, but I only felt a small tang of guilt when I found myself awake at night thinking about Esmeralda and the way she smelt and tasted and felt...that's when I would remember I had a girlfriend and that I was cheating on her nearly everyday. Esmeralda didn't seem to care, but then again, Esmeralda was single and didn't have anything conflicting with our rendezvous.

So now you're probably asking why I haven't broken up with Femke, who by the way did in fact bitch at me for leaving and just sending a text message, and went ahead and dated Esmeralda already. Don't get me wrong, I did want to be with Esmeralda, I even liked her better than Femke in every way possible, but there were two things getting in the way. First off, I still like Femke a little and I don't want to rudely dump her to go immediately date someone I didn't want anything to do with a couple months ago. Secondly, we never talked about it. We just did, ya know? So I don't know if Esmeralda genuinely likes me and wants to be with me, or if this is all some sort of friends with benefits business to get her mind off of Alfred. I don't know if this is all just a game to Esmeralda and I don't want to make a fool out of myself, so I just keep playing along, assuming she thinks it's a game. But then there's the way she kisses me deeply and holds me tightly and there's no way its just a game, every time i think about it, my stomach does this unpleasing pretzel knot. We even check each other out from across the room but of course she finds me attractive, she wouldn't be making out with me all the time if she didn't, so it's still a fifty fifty chance she likes me back, or if she just wants to hookup. I keep telling myself that it's obvious she likes me back, because it fucking is, I'm just screwing with myself, but then my gut tells me shes just messing around because its all too good to be true and I cant bring myself to believe it. So I just keep my mouth shut.

Eventually, Esmeralda's sentence was cleared and she stopped volunteering at the orphanage. Which meant that the amount of hook ups we had began to decrease and life at the orphanage didn't waste it sweet time into turning into a drag again. The kids went back to moping around and whenever i spoke to them, they would tell me that they like Esmeralda better and wanted her back. It gave me a fucking headache.

But let me tell you a thing, one day, this little girl came up to me and told me that it didn't make any sense that Esmeralda left. I glanced up at her and asked her what she meant. In a fit of rage, I ended up telling the kids that the chick they idolized was only here because she didn't know how to follow the law and that she was sent to work here as punishment and her time out was over. I couldn't stand their curious little minds anymore and honestly, I wanted Esmeralda back just as bad as they did. Anyways, I asked the little girl what the meant by that and she said,

"I don't understand why Esmeralda left, I thought you two were in love. It certainly looked like it" she looked at her shoes and walked away, as if she was too shy to be in my presence but had to speak her mind. Now that made my stomach flip it's shit and my heart forget how to function. I would mention the kids to her every once and a while and she'd light up and ask how they're doing. When I tell her that they're little shit heads who refuse to listen to me, shed chuckle, tossing her head back slightly and tell me she knew nothing would change between me and those punks.

I did love Esmeralda...but did she love me back? Hell, does she even like like me? I love the way she shows the rules who's boss and the way her smile would play into a little smirk and how she walks around confidently, but not like a diva. I loved it when she would be sitting there quietly, but a thought would pass her mind and shed give this soft little smile, I loved the way her lips always lingered close to mine after a kiss before pulling away completely, as if wanting more. Fucking hell did I love that little juvenile delinquent.


End file.
